Vehicle seat



y 7, 1958 J. FRIDOLPH 2,836,226

VEHICLE SEAT Filed April 23, 1955 INVENTOR.

JOH/V \5. FP/D 01 PH United. States VEHICLE SEAT John S. Fridolph, Middletown, Ohio Application April 23, 1953, Serial No. 350,543

9 Claims. (Cl. 155-179) This invention relates to seats and more particularly to vehicle seats.

One of the difiiculties with seats of present-day construction is that after a person has occupied the seat for a relatively short period of time the persons spinal column becomes fatigued. I believe that this difliculty arises primarily from the fact that with present-day seat construction the support afforded by the seat for the spine is localized to a great extent at a small area near the base of the spine.

The present invention contemplates a seat construction wherein the supporting surfaces of the seat are designed to distribute the load of an occupants body more uniformly and to permit the total weight of the person to be distributed over those portions of the human body which nature intended to provide for the purpose of support. Thus in the seat of my construction the back member supports the back of a person seated in the seat from the central hip portion upwardly to the region of the shoulders and the bottom portion of the seat provides a uniform support for the thighs and buttocks of the human body from a line approximately in back of the knee joint rearwardly to a line spaced just forwardly of the base of the spinal column.

in the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a seat constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom member of the seat shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of an other form of seat construction according to the present invention illustrating particularly the construction of the seat bottom.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view or" the back member of a seat constructed in accordance with the showing in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the seat bottom shown in Fig. 3.

Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views of still other forms of seat construction in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. l a seat which includes a base support 10 on which are arranged a bottom seat member generally designated 12 and a back member generally designated 14-. The members 1' and 14- are in the form of seat cushions and are fashioned with a plurality of coil springs such as shown at 16 which may, if desired, be enclosed in burlap pockets 18 as is conventional. The springs 16 are arranged in rows both transversely and longitudinally of the seat. Around their upper edges the spring units are edged by a wire rim designated 20 on the bottom member 12 and 22 on the back member 14. It will be observed that in the seat illustrated in Fig. 1 there are five rows of springs 16 extending transversely of the seat bottom member 12 from the front edge thereof which are approximately of the same height. Likewise, in the back member 14 there are arranged five rows of springs 16 transversely near Patented May of the seat and spaced adjacently from approximately the upper edge of the seat back.

At the rear edge portion of the bottom member 12 and at the lower edge portion of the back member there are arranged two rows of coil springs 24 which are substantially shorter in height than the other springs 16 of the back and bottom seat members. Accordingly, the wire edge rim 20 is fashioned with a downwardly offset portion 26, and the wire edge rim 22 of back member 14 is fashioned with a rearwardiy offset portion 28. These rims are offset in this manner to accommodate the springs 24 of shorter length. The spring units of the back and bottom seat members are overlaid with a padding such as a sponge rubber pad 34) and trimmed with a fabric trim cover 32 so as to present a neat and smooth appearance over the entire supporting surface of the seat.

The present invention is particularly concerned with the seat construction adjacent the rear portion of the bottom member 12 and the lower portion of the back member 14. In the seat shown in Fig. l the construction with which this invention primarily relates is at the offset portions 26 and 23 in the supporting surfaces defined by the upper ends of springs 15 and 24. It will be observed, assuming that the spinal column of a person seated in the seat is as shown by dotted lines 34, that the offset portion 26 defines a recess 36 in the supporting surface of the seat which extends rearwardly from a transverse line spaced just forwardly of the hips or the base of the spinal column 34. Likewise, with respect to the back member 14 the offset portion 28 provides a recess 38 which extends downwardly from a point spaced just above the lower end of the spinal column 34. Thus, in the seat construction illustrated a persons body would be provided with a relatively firm support from approximately the knees to just forwardly of the hips by the bottom seat member 12 and from just above the base of the spine to the shoulders by the back member 14. The weight of the person is thus uniformly distributed over the thighs and the buttocks and the upper back portions of the person. The supporting surfaces of the seat bottom and back are relieved at that area which corresponds to the lower end of the spinal column. I have found that the support afforded by the seat construction described is very comfortable and does not fatigue the spinal column nearly as much as a seat which provides a continuous and firm support substantially entirely around the persons body from the knees to the shoulder.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5 I have shown a seat constructed in accordance with the invention and employing in the place of coil springs such as shown at 16 and 24 in Fig. 1 springs 40 which are commonly referred to in the art as zig-zag springs. These springs are each fashioned from a length of spring wire with spaced apart return bends. The springs 46 are preferably arranged to extend in a direction from front to back on the seat bottom generally designated 42 in Figs. 3 and 5 and in a direction up and down on the seat back generally designated in Fig. 4. Springs 49 of bottom member 42 are each fashioned with a central portion 46 which provides a substantially horizontally disposed supporting surface, and at the rear portion thereof the springs at are fashioned with a downwardly ofiset portion 48 which defines a recess 50 at the rear portion of bottom member 42. Likewise, in the back member 4 springs 49 are each fashioned with a central portion 52 which defines a generally vertically disposed supporting surface, and at the rear portion thereof springs 49 are rearwardly 0&- set as at 54 to define a recess 56 at the lower portion of back member 44. At their opposite ends springs 40 are turned downwardly towards the base of the spring namely, at that portion of the seat which corresponds to the area surrounding the base of the spinal column of a person seated in the seat. Preferably the :springs 40 .are overlaid with a padding such as the sponge rubberpfad shown at 6i}, and the units are trimmed with a fabric trim cover 62.* Pads 69 and cover 62, it will :be observed, provide a smooth surface over the spring ,units and cooperate with the offset portions 48 and 54 to define the recesses i) and 56 in the bottom member 42 and back'member 44, respectively.

In Fig. 6 I' have shown'a further construction in accordance with the present invention. InVFig. 6 it will be noted that there is shown a seat bottom member. 64, and it will be appreciated that this bottom member 64 is used in conjunction with a back member (not shown) which is of generally the same construction. The bottom member 64- is in the form of a spring unit comprising rows of coil springs .66, 68, 79,72, 74 and 76. The rows of springs 68, 70 and 72, it will be observed, are located on the bottom member 64- to correspond .in position with the heavy thigh portions of a person occupying the seat. These springs provide a firm support for heavy construction. The springs 66 in the row adjacent the front edge of the seat are of lighter construction than springs 68, '79 and 72 to provide'a' more resilient sup-.

port for the area under the knees of the occupant.-

The: springs 76 in the .rearmost row are of relatively light construction, and the springs 74 in the next adjacent row are only slightly heavier'in construction. Thus,

the rear two rows of the springs of the seat bottom 64 provide a very resilient supporting surface. This area of the seat is designed to provide a very weak support. The rows of springs 74 and 76 correspond to and serve the same purpose as theoffset portions 26 and 48 in the seat constructions shown in Figs. land 3, respectively.

. The row of springs '72 is positioned just forwardly of 'the hip line of the seat occupant. The seat back usable with the bottom member ,64 would be constructed sub:

'stantially the same-as the bottom memb er l with the lower portion of the spring unit provided by relatively .weaksprings so that when the two seat members' are arranged in position, such as "the position illustrated in Fig. '1, the seat would provide a: relatively firm support} for the thighs up to a'line spaced just forwardly of -the base of the spine ands-for-the upper back person occupying the seat.

- In Figi7'there is shown a scatcushion 8! :whichinr V corporates the essential feature of this invention. fCushion 80 has .an outer trim fabric 82' which encloses the p is designed to provide a comfortable and'a non-fatiguing I support for the human body. This improved construction is based-upon relieving the supporting surface either by way of forming .a depression therein oriby weakem .ing the supporting surface of. the seat at thatv portion thereof which corresponds ,tosthe area surrounding the portion .of the such thigh portions and are consequently of relatively .of the occupant extending upwardlyfrom ,a line spaced slightly above the base of'the spinal column and at the same time exerting little or no pressure either vertically or laterally on the lower end of the spinal column;

It will be appreciated that the forms of construction herein shown and described represent only several of many difierent constructions which may be adoptedfor accomplishing the purposes of this invention. The basic feature of my seatconstruction resides in relieving the seat supporting surfaces .at those portions thereof which correspond to the area surrounding the base of the spinal column, either by forming recesses or depressions for by providing a relatively weak and highly resilient support at these areas. 7

I claim: 7

l. A seat for supporting a person in a comfortably seated position comprising a back member and abet:

tom member arranged to'prcsent generally vertically and V horizontally disposed supporting surfaces, said horizontallty disposed supporting surface being fashioned to 'provide a relatively firm support over that portion thereof which extends forwardly from a transverse .line onthe bottom member extending slightly forwardly 1 from the hip line of a person seated normally on said seat, and a relatively negligible support over the remainingportioh of said seat supporting surface between said transverse, line and the rear edge of said bottom cushion member.

7 2. A seat as called'for in claim 1 wherein said bottom member comprises a spring unit overlaid with a layer of padding, the top face of said spring unit defining said horizontally disposed supporting surface, the portion of said-supporting surface rearwardiy'of said transverse line tically disposed supporting surface is fashioneid to provide a firm support for the back of aperson seated in said seat from a line spaced slightly above the base of being offset downwardly relative to the portion of said top supporting surface forwardly of said transverse line.

7 3. A seat sis-called for in claim 1 wherein said bottom 7 member is formed of a resilient compressible material, at

least a portion of said material extending rearwardly from said transverse forwardly -of said transverse line. 7

.4. A seat as called for in claim 1 wherein said verthe spine tothe region of the shoulders anda relatively negligible support therebelow to the lower edg'e'of said vertically disposed supporting surface. 7,

j' 5. A seat as called for in claim 4 wherein said back member and bottom member comprise seat'spring' units; J 6. A seat for supporting a person in a comfortably seated position comprising'a back memberand a bottom member, 'said botto-m memberhaving a generally 'hori V Zontal supporting surface and means on said bottom memberrendering said horizontal supporting surface depressible'over that portion thereof which extends from. a transverse line on the seat disposed slightly forwardly of the hip line 'of'a person'seated normally on the seat to the rear edge of said bottom member upon-applica tion of a force which is negligible'rela'tively to the force 7 required for depressing the portionv of said seat extending forwardly from said transverse line.v

' base ijofithe spinalg column of the occupanfof the seat.

Byrelieving'the supporting'surfacesfin this manner, the;

. 1 seat designed to provide a relatively firm supportfo r the thigh portions of the occupantup to a linc spaced just forwardly of; the hip linefand for the back portion 1 '7. The combination set forth in'cla'im 6 whereinlsaid means comprise .a pluraltiy of coil springsQthe upper ends 'of which provide said generally horizontally extending supporting surface.

8; The combination set'forth in'claim 7 wherein the the being substantially more readily compressible than the portion of said material extending tion than the springs disposed forwardly of said transverse line.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Neely Apr. 28, 1942 Lay et a1. Oct. 3, 1944 Robell Ian. 23, 1951 Warner July 10, 1951 Burdick et a1. Feb. 16, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Sept. 12, 1927 

